If you are opening a virtual restaurant or you have an existing restaurant, joining a delivery app is a great way to bring in business and get noticed by the surrounding community. Today, we will cover everything you need to know about DoorDash, including how to get your restaurant on the app and general tips for success. Get ready to become a DoorDash pro with Nextbite!
What Is DoorDash?
DoorDash is a technology company that connects local consumers with local restaurants and makes delivery possible by employing independent contractors as delivery drivers. In other words, DoorDash is an app that connects people to restaurants and restaurants to people who can deliver the food to the customer. People can use the DoorDash app to get to-go food delivered from their favorite restaurant.
DoorDash’s delivery people are called “Dashers.” They work to bring products straight to the customer, from your restaurant. Some of the benefits of working as a Dasher include schedule flexibility (since you get to decide when you work) and financial stability (since you can work as much or as little as you want).
Why Use DoorDash For Your Restaurant
As a restaurant, you want to get your food to as many hungry customers as possible. Using DoorDash is a great way to expand your reach without having to supply delivery drivers, cars, and the insurance that accompanies the whole setup. Just cook the food and manage the incoming orders; DoorDash will do the rest.
One of the biggest advantages of using DoorDash is that people don’t have to already know about your restaurant to find you. DoorDash has a wide base of loyal customers and will list your restaurant as an option to anyone within your delivery range. Using DoorDash will boost your sales by helping you reach new customers.
How To Use DoorDash For Your Restaurant
Becoming a partner with DoorDash is easy. That’s why more than 340,000 restaurants are already working with DoorDash to get their food delivered to the people. When you sign up with DoorDash, you can pick and choose which features will work best for you and your business.
For example, if you already have your delivery team, then you can opt to fulfill your orders and save some money on your DoorDash membership while still benefiting from being listed on their app. They know that not every business will have the same needs, and they have created a system that integrates flawlessly with any existing system you already have in place.
When deciding how you want to use DoorDash, you first must understand the ins and outs of how the app works, such as how customers place their orders and how you, the restaurant, will receive the orders.
How Customers Place Orders
When a customer decides that they want to order some food, they simply pick up their smartphone or computer and go to the DoorDash app. On the app, they can search for food by location, cuisine type, and promotions. DoorDash is convenient for customers because they can look at the offerings of many different restaurants in their area before deciding what to order.
Once they have made their selection, they will place their order and receive an estimated time for when their delivery may arrive. They can then track their order as well as communicate directly with their driver once the food has been picked up. Once they place their order, it’s up to you to get cookin’.
How Restaurants Receive The Order
There are several different ways that you can choose to receive DoorDash orders. The recommended way is with a tablet. Although there are four other options when partnering with DoorDash, the tablet/app approach will give you the most efficient and easy results.
Tablet
If you already own an Android tablet, you can use this as a way to receive your orders by downloading the DoorDash Order Manager App. If you don’t have an Android tablet, you can also rent a tablet from DoorDash for a small weekly fee. Their tablet comes with the manager app pre-installed, and you can even add an order printer to send orders straight to your kitchen for an additional rental fee.
The tablet is free for the first 30 days (so you can make sure you like it), and then it is $6.00 per week. If you opt to include the order printer, it will be an additional $3.15 per week.
When using the app and tablet, you can update your menu in real-time, which can be useful if you sell out of anything on the menu. You can simply deactivate and reactivate individual menu items in the app.
When using the tablet and app, you can also contact the customer or delivery person if the need arises. This can be handy if a customer leaves a note on their order that is confusing. You can then easily contact them to clarify and make sure the order is fulfilled to their liking. Similarly, if you need to contact the Dasher (your delivery driver) for any reason, the app makes it easy for you to connect with them. By using the app, you will streamline the takeout process and keep all the information you need in one tidy hub.
Once an order is placed, you will be alerted with audio notification. So, make sure the volume is up on the device. The app will first ask you to confirm the order; simply click “view order.” Once you have reviewed the order, click “confirm order” to send the order to the kitchen, where your chefs will begin the preparation.
After the order has been confirmed and sent to the kitchen, the app will prompt you to select a preparation time estimate so that a delivery person can be assigned. Once you are assigned a Dasher, they will show up at the pick-up time, ready to deliver your delicious food.
Using the app and tablet is a surefire way to boost efficiency and have your food delivery running smoothly. There are several other ways you can receive orders, but this is by far the best.
DoorDash POS Integration
If your restaurant is already using a cutting-edge POS (Point Of Sale) technology system, then you can receive DoorDash orders directly in your existing system. DoorDash can integrate with Square, Shift4, Delivered, ItsaCheckmate, Redcat, and several other technologies. If you are interested in this, option contact DoorDash to see if the software you currently use is compatible.
If you use a computer as part of your current order taking set up, you can opt to receive orders via email. If you choose this option, you will receive your orders in an email with a follow-up automated phone call to confirm that you have gotten the order. This option is free to restaurants but isn’t the most efficient method.
Fax
If you are old school and use a fax machine at your restaurant, then you can receive orders via fax. Similar to email orders, you will receive a phone call with each order to confirm that you have received it. This option is the least efficient and should only be used if it is your only option.
Packaging the Order
Once you have decided how you want to receive orders and you have set up the technology, you must take great care when packaging your food. After all, you didn’t put in all the time and effort to create an amazing dish, just to have it show up to the customer in a soggy pile. With these packaging tips, you are sure to do your food justice and please your customers.
When packaging food always:
- Separate hot and cold items.
- Keep food hot until it is picked up.
- Separate sides and sauces.
- Wrap sauce containers in foil to prevent spillage.
- Reinforce all lids with a strip of tape.
- Keep food and beverage separate.
With these hot tips, you are sure to be a food packaging pro in no time.
In Conclusion
Now that you have learned the basics of DoorDash, you will be serving up delivery food like a pro. Using an app like DoorDash will boost your reach and help you increase overall sales. As a restaurant owner, it is very fulfilling to be able to get your food out to as many people as possible. With the help of great apps like DoorDash, you will get to serve your food to even more members of your community. Order up!
For more tips and tricks for your restaurant, visit the Nextbite.
Sources:
How DoorDash Works | by DoorDash | DoorDash